MySpace: solar powered, governed by Barack Obama

MySpace.com: The solar powered nation filled with soccer players, 24 hour bars and governed by Barack Obama.

A new MySpace New Zealand census reveals what the 11th largest country in the world would be like to live in and offers insight into a new breed of cyber citizen.

[Embargo 12:01am April 27th 2009] With over 129 million users worldwide[1], if MySpace.com was a country it would be the 11th largest country in the world, just behind Japan (127 million) and leagues ahead of Mexico (106 million), Germany (82 million) and France (64 million).

To understand what it would be like to live in the MySpace nation, a new survey has reviewed the opinions, tastes and lifestyle preferences of hundreds of Kiwi MySpace users. The results offer a snapshot of this flourishing cyber nation and a unique insight into this new breed of cyber citizen.

Fast Facts about MySpace - the Nation:

• MySpace’s elected Head of State, with 27% of all votes, would be Barack Obama.
The second next most popular candidate with 11% of all votes was Robin Hood. Martin Luther King (8%) Nelson Mandela 6% and John Howard 6% all received more votes than the current Prime Minister John Key who only had 2% of votes.
• Marijuana would be legal in MySpace, as voted by 52% of all MySpace citizens.
• 29% of MySpace citizens condone capital punishment.
• MySpace would be solar powered with 39% of the nation’s citizens in favour.
• MySpace’s official language would be English (94%)
• Voting would not be compulsory in MySpace as voted by 53% of citizens
• 11% of MySpace citizens would be bi-sexual.

MySpace Politics:
• 79% of MySpace citizens support having a Bill of Rights.
• 78% of citizens would support an enforced gender balance of 50% women and 50% men in government positions.
• 31% of MySpace citizens would vote Green, 26% would vote Labor/Democrat, 11% Republican and 9% would support a Socialist government.

Religion:
• MySpace would be a secular state, as voted by 80% of citizens.
• The most popular religion in MySpace would be Christianity (33%), Atheists would make up 15% of the population and 13% would be Jedi and 4% would be Wiccan.

Work and Education:
• There would be four days in the regular MySpace working week (47%).
• The standard working day would start at 9am and be 6 hours long (54%).
• 28% of MySpace citizens would work in the Media/Entertainment/Marketing industries.
• The minimum level of education for all citizens in MySpace would be a High School Diploma (68%).

Culture and Lifestyle:
• The average MySpace bar would be open 24 hours (39%) and Happy Hour would be at 6pm (43%).
• MySpace’s biggest national holidays would be Christmas (87%), ‘MySpace Day’(86%) and Easter (79%).
• Cappuccinos would be the most popular style of coffee (41%) and MySpace the nation would be renowned for its fast food (30%) and Italian Cuisine (21%).
• The most popular sport in MySpace would be soccer (40%) well ahead of Rugby Union which only received 17% of votes.
• Comedy films would be the most popular genre of film (70%) and Rock music would be MySpacers favorite music genre (61%).
• The favourite holiday destination was Australia (18%).

Brands of Choice
• The top three beer brands were Corona (35%), Pure Blonde (12%) and Toohey Extra Dry
• The three favourite chocolate bars were voted as Cadbury Boost (10%) Snickers Bar (9%), Cadbury Daily Milk Bar (8%).

• The most popular soft drinks were Coca-Cola (43%), Ocean Spray (8%) and L&P (6%).

• With 79% of votes Colgate was far and away the most popular brand of toothpaste, McCleans was the next most popular with 9%.

• The most popular brand of deodorant was Lynx (28%) followed by Dove (14%) and then Impulse (9%).

MySpace is the quintessential digital nation and one of the fastest growing websites of all time. MySpace is accessed by 13% of the world’s online population, which equates to around 125 million users from around the world. With a global network of 8 billion ‘friend relationships’ MySpace witnesses an average of 27 billion comments and 7 billion photos with 20 million uploaded daily, ensuring it is truly a hub of communication and social and cultural exchange.

As Susan Carlton, Head of Sales and Business Development MySpace.com New Zealand explains; “Since launching globally five years ago, MySpace.com has emerged as a driving cultural force and a digital mainstay. MySpace has become part of everyday lexicon and has radically changed the way people around the world both socialise and consume content and culture. The online social destination for over half a million Kiwi’s, having a MySpace account is as common as the number of Kiwi households that own a dog.”

MySpace is localised in 30 regions across 15 languages including; the U.S., UK, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, MySpace en Espanol, Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, India, Korea, Switzerland Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

With over 300,000 million friends, MySpace New Zealand’s office profile “Kiwi Hub” [www.myspace.com/kiwihub] links Kiwi MySpace users to one another and the latest music film and comedy news, celebrity updates, exclusive interviews, previews, competitions and support.

The typical MySpaceian
Ike Hamon, www.myspace.com/machinegunike
32 year old professional stuntman, photographer and musician from Auckland, Ike Hamon, is the quintessential MySpaceian. Ike joined MySpace over five years ago and now has around 14,500 friends. Although initially he joined MySpace to socialise, Ike quickly saw the synergy between his interests and the MySpace community and began to use the platform to showcase his photography and music.

As Ike explains; “MySpace mimics life, in that it is what you make of it. MySpace gives everyone the tools to connect with people from around the world, to develop friendships and networks and it knocks down the so-called six degrees of separation to one degree. I have met so many amazing people and been exposed to incredible music though MySpace.”

Having photographed the likes of AFI, Panic at the Disco, The Lemonheads and Fall Out Boy, Ike’s prolife attracts musicians and fans alike. The allure of being a professional stuntman and his willingness to mentor people also drives many people to his profile. “I am always happy to answer questions, do my best with advice, share stories and pass on things I have learnt. In the words of Chris McCandless (Into the Wild) ‘Happiness is only real if shared’ and that sharing happens though MySpace.”

[ends]

[1] ComScore Media Metrix, January 2009

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